


Hyperocula

by MonsterBoyf



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horror, Angst, Apocalypse, Body Horror, Cannibalism, Demons, Detectives, Gore, M/M, Monsters, Organs, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Psychological Horror, Sad Ending, Unspecified Setting, like a lot of gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2020-12-28 02:43:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21129464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonsterBoyf/pseuds/MonsterBoyf
Summary: A divine, or hellish, gift of sight did not ever foretell of visions of the end.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My long awaited horror au. I put up a poll on twitter and it was tied on Halloween prodigium or posting this so here we are. I warn you now, this is everything you would think to never expect from me. It's sad, it's dark. The only thing that marks it as mine is monsters and being horny for Hakyeon lol.

Hakyeon stared at the low life before him with an absolute lack of sympathy. Staring was Hakyeon's strong suit, his gift if you will. In the instances of interrogation, it helped. Sharp eyes that made criminals crumble before his foot. Hakyeon always got his way. 

“You know what I’m going to say, don’t you? With all that coke in your car?” The man sitting across the metal table wouldn’t meet Hakyeon’s eye, hanging his head in shame. Possession with intent to distribute. It was honestly… painfully obvious. Boring. This guy had a rap sheet, wouldn’t be his first drug related charge and probably wouldn’t be his last. Hakyeon was so bored of mundane routines like this it felt like his brain was going to melt. 

“Didn’t make bail yet so you’ll be staying at county until your sentencing. The hearing is scheduled for July 28th, so try not to cause any trouble until then. If I were you, I’d take a plea bargain. Prison is no fun.” Hakyeon shut the folder and stood from the table. The man didn't try to argue or get in the last word. Hakyeon left the room and told the guard to lead him out. Hakyeon grit his teeth to avoid looking at them. 

Hakyeon was an old detective. There was no shame in admitting that. He had been at this branch for over ten years. He was the lead detective on almost any case. He was the father of this branch. Everyone knew him, and they all cared for him deeply. It was appreciated, but sometimes it just felt claustrophobic. 

"Hakyeon." Said detective turned to the front desk. Jaehwan sat behind the computer, usual chipper smile gone. Wonshik was also beside the desk, looking Hakyeon over. The detective adjusted his shirt collar. 

"What's wrong?"

"Are you doing okay?" Wonshik spoke for the both of them, shifting his weight on his feet. Jaehwan nodded, reaching out to hold Hakyeon's hand atop the desk. 

"You seem really depressed lately." Hakyeon blinked at the gesture. The duo were always the most emotionally in touch people Hakyeon knew. That was why they were the office couple. They had hearts of gold and sweet dispositions. Wonshik was much younger than Hakyeon, a new trainee. His dark eyes sparkled with a hope that had yet to be diminished by the weight of existence. His hair was cut short, a style typical of those fresh out of the academy and something Jaehwan clarified he loved. Hakyeon had caught them an indiscriminate amount of time behind the desk, Jaehwan running his hands through the locks. Wonshik seemed to enjoy it. He always radiates warmth and joy at being touched by the desk clerk. 

Jaehwan himself was a bit older, yet somehow even more childish. He was a baby brother to Hakyeon, someone he felt necessary to love. Jaehwan was the one to care for Hakyeon though. A night that lasted too long, a physical manifestation of Hakyeon's stress in the form of kinks in his back, frustrated outbursts that boiled over, they were all cared for by Jaehwan. He was an occasional nurturer. Hakyeon loved him for this. He was a ball of sunlight in the monochrome police station. His brown curls and round cheeks, along with his huge grins, brought a light to the dreary station. 

"I'm fine. I'm no more depressed than I usually am." A half truth. The existential dread never went away, but that wasn't to say it didn't make him feel worse than usual. He was a thirty year old man with very little family left, no lover of his own to go home to, and two close friends; both of whom were beneath him professionally so they were forced to at least  _ tolerate _ his whims. Hakyeon was always depressed, but the sudden crushing weight of his inevitable death that no one but his work mates would notice was a damper on his already shitty attitude. He covered it up though. Just like he covered his eyes and played pretend that he was a normal man with a real functioning life. 

"That's not comforting, Yeonie. Did you go see the doctor like you said?" Hakyeon had said that last month to get Jaehwan to cease his pestering. He did not see a doctor, had no intention of it. He had seen one doctor all his life for the soul purpose of letting absolutely no one know of his condition. There was no therapy that could help with Hakyeon's amount of kept secrets. It was better he just stay quiet and suffer in peace, as always. It was easier that way. He was less of a detriment. 

"I did. We talk on sundays." Jaehwan smiled softly, clutching Hakyeon's hand tightly. 

"That's good! I want to see you happy again, for more than a day or five minutes." Hakyeon gulped. His eyes watered and he tried to force that back down. Despite the crushing weight of everything, Hakyeon still managed to be sensitive. He loved praise, love knowing that someone cared about him. Wonshik pat his back as well. 

"We all want you to be happy, Yeon. You're important to us." Hakyeon took back his hand from Jaehwan, looking down as he held both of his own close to him. 

"Thank you for your concern… I will," he cleared his throat, "I will try my best." He was brought into a crushing hug by Wonshik and he tried to ignore the accidental pain brought on by the contact. He didn't mean to hurt. He had no idea what Hakyeon tucked under unnecessary layers. 

"Hongbin, I'm home." Hakyeon hung his keys on the hook beside the door. He toed off his shoes and fully entered the single apartment. Even his apartment showed the incriminating evidence of his loneliness. It was practically barren, and in impersonal grey tones. The only thing of life was Hakyeon and his window filled with succulents. They were a small comfort in the otherwise drab. There were many. Simple cacti, echeveria, agave, even a tall aloe vera he was proud of. He named each, and kept rigorous track of their water schedules. It helped. His own private therapy. Hakyeon shrugged off his coat and set that on the back of a black armchair. He was happy to get out of his layers. They suffocated him in a voluntary torture. He had yet to hear from Hongbin. No surprise. He wasn't always there, Hongbin was an infrequent constant. He was always there, yet took breaks that he was sure to return from. It depended on the day whether or not Hakyeon appreciated it or loathed him. 

"You look like shit." Hakyeon sighed, closing his eyes as he undid his cuff buttons. 

"Thank you, oh wise one."

"What crawled up your ass and died today? You usually brush off me being a prick." Hakyeon began to push off his button down. His eyes finally had a moment to relax, take in the white light of his own house. He took a sigh of relief. Hongbin said nothing of the strip show. 

"It's been hard." Hongbin hummed, putting his ankle on his knee. 

"So it's one of those days." Hakyeon nodded. The phantom atop the counter said nothing at Hakyeon coming close, resting his head atop his broad shoulder. Hakyeon briefly caught a glimpse through Hongbin's eyes. He saw himself hugging onto the demon, grasping his skin as some kind of crutch. Hongbin didn't question this. He knew how humans were. It didn't bother him. It didn't even perturb him the first time. It was like he expected it. Hakyeon looked through his own eyes, tired of that train of thought.

Hongbin was like a therapy animal for Hakyeon. Instead of talking about his feelings and building human connections, he could just have Hongbin fuck them out of him. A younger, more innocent Hakyeon scolded himself for sinking as low as to fuck his lifetime ghost, but that younger Hakyeon was a fool that didn't understand adult intricacies. Having Hongbin pin his wrists down and slam their hips together made him feel good, and that's all Hakyeon wanted anymore. He wanted to feel good. Anything that would give him a pleasant buzz under his skin without consequence was good. Drugs and alcohol would destroy his body. This just left him briefly sore in the morning, and with a more crippling sense of abandonment but that he could just cover in work. Work and sex were Hakyeon's indulgences. 

Hakyeon took a glimpse through Hongbin's eyes once more. He saw himself, saw his pitiful eyes full of tears; all of them. It put a sour taste in his mouth, seeing his own body. His human eyes, the two on his face, were closed as he moaned for Hongbin, but the others stared up at demonic partner. Hakyeon hated each and every one of them. The large one on his ribs, the cluster of small eyes on his thighs, which were currently being spread wide by Hongbin. They all firmly marked him as a monster and kept him at arm's reach of everyone. Everyone but Hongbin, and Hongbin had never truly loved him. Not deeply. Hakyeon returned to his own eyes so he could rub the tears from them. 

"Do you want me to stop again?" Hakyeon hiccuped and shook his head. The ‘again’ stung.

"No, p-please keep going. I need it." Hongbin leaned down to kiss his neck. The eye on Hakyeon's nape shut tightly. They all did. Hakyeon hated crying. It was a messy affair when you dribbled tears all over your body. His skin would be soaked with tears if he began to sob. He didn't cry in public. He felt a pang of guilt at the fact that this wasn't the first time that he had started crying when he was with Hongbin. He should apologize when he gained a level head. 

The world was crumbled. Bricks and wood littered Hakyeon's feet. The sky was as grey as his inhibitions. Hakyeon's hands were shaking and his voice was cracking on sobs for reasons unknown to him. He felt cold. He was ice cold despite the fires about him. Shadows moved around the debris in a manner that seemed human. The air was hard to breath, suffocating Hakyeon and stinging his eyes. It was hard to see, all his eyes were trying to take in input at once. He could see all around him, and yet it all looked the same. No matter where he moved he felt like he hadn't taken a single step. Shadows manifested and Hakyeon shook his head, crushing his eyelids together. He screamed, but his voice was choked. It was like he had been strangled. Someone pinned him down by the throat and forced the voice out of him. What had he been doing? He didn't know where he was. This was an unfamiliar place torn to pieces before he could even get acquainted. It was the twisted visage of ruins. Blindfolding a shaken artist and demanding they illustrate a scene in only grayscale and fiery orange. The shadows. The shadows were the worst part. They towered and grasped at Hakyeon's skin and it made his stomach turn. He shut his eyes, looking for anyone else, trying to see from their perspective. He found a body as he tried to escape the reality of the monsters grabbing his body and whispering to him within tongues. 

Hands paler than Hakyeon's own patting the ground, tearing at it. Deep, hollowing sobs. Hakyeon's view was blurred. 

"I can't do it! I don't know what you need me to do!" The stranger looked up at another man. The masculine form was standing with poise above the rubble. It was no issue for this figure. There were ram horns on his head. His eyes were crimson red. His hands were talons. Hakyeon wanted to puke, and his vessel just wanted to sob even harder. 

"Please! I'm just a kid!  _ I don't understand!" _ The demon stepped up. Hakyeon left the vision as Hongbin shoved this stranger's face into the rubble. The shadows had grasped Hakyeon's body entirely and graced their teeth over him, rubbed up his skin with scales and feathers and every possible texture Hakyeon had ever known. They were weak, but once Hakyeon broke free, another leech just grabbed on. Slimey appendage was rubbed over Hakyeon's eyes, the ones on his body, hidden under his tattered his clothes. Why were his clothes ripped to shreds and why did he have no recollection of how these monsters amalgamated. Darkness drenched the world, sun blot out with black paint and dread. 

"Hakyeon, Hakyeon what the fuck are you screaming about?" Hongbin's body was looming over him and Hakyeon had never moved away so quickly. He kicked at the demon and pushed him away so he could crawl backwards to the otherside of the bed. Hakyeon's breath was ragged. Crimson eyes and horns of a great ram. Not in a crumbled world, in his bedroom. No talons, just soft, small hands that had bruised his hips and neck. Hongbin's eyes glew in the darkness as he scowled at Hakyeon. "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Hakyeon gulped, choking.

"N-nightmare. You- you were…"

"Oh come on, Yeon. You're old enough now to be over nightmares."

"Y-you dont understand! It felt so real and you were there, but nobody else. There were these monsters that grabbed me and you were torturing this boy and-" Hongbin grabbed his shoulders, hushing him. 

"Hakyeon, Hakyeon, take a breathe." Hakyeon pulled in wheezing breathes, coughing on the sudden rush of icy air. His eyes were frantic, looking all about the dark bedroom. 

"It felt real. It felt- it felt like when I look through your eyes. I was there.  _ We _ were there!" Hongbin sighed. He laid down on the bed beside Hakyeon, looking up at the ceiling with his arms crossed under his head. 

"Alright, tell me in detail so I can know what kind of poor soul's nightmare you accidentally slipped into."

The demon laid there, nodded along with the story, frowning in thought. 

"So, I have an idea…"

"What is it?" Hongbin sat up, running a hand over his horn with a sigh. 

"I don't think that was a dream." Hakyeon scowled. 

"Then what was it?"

"I think you might have been having a vision." Hakyeon blinked.

"What?" 

Hongbin stood from the bed, pacing in front of it. Hakyeon watched him like he was a meer pendulum within a grandfather clock. 

"Your talent is seeing. Don't you think it makes sense the powers that be would trust you with the visions of the end?" 

"But- but you're a demon, wouldn't you know about this? Wouldn't they tell you?" Hongbin shrugged. He was much too calm, too at ease about the news. 

"I'm just the remains of one belief system. If another wants to swallow the world whole, who am I to know or stop it?" Hakyeon grabbed the sheet in fists. 

"Who am I to know?! I'm just a nobody monster! I can't stop the fucking apocalypse!" Hongbin sighed. He came to Hakyeon's side of the bed, standing over him. 

"The real world has very few willing heroes. Lay down, I'll see." Hakyeon rubbed his face before flopping down on his back. His brows were knotted together. Worry was carved into the atoms of his being. Hongbin leaned down, sealing their lips. This wasn’t a new trick. The familiar drowsiness swept over Hakyeon as he relaxed into the bed. He didn’t want to go back. He was too tired to argue though. His heavy lashes batted closed as Hongbin's hand held him down against the sheets. The room was dark, the flames and monstrous shadows returned. 

"Hakyeon? What's going on?" Jaehwan pulled the phone from his face as Hakyeon tried to step past his desk. The detective had just came in, and now he was making his get away with bag under his arm. He sighed and turned back to the younger. 

"I'm going to be going on vacation for a few days. I… took what you said to heart." Jaehwan's eyes widened and he grinned. 

"Oh, I'm so glad! You should have told me!" He put the phone back on the receiver and stood from his chair. Said seat rolled back until it hit the wall. "Who's taking your place? How long are you going? Where are you going?" Hakyeon melted a little, smiling. Jaehwan was such a bright light within this quickly fading world. 

"I'm going to a little town off the coast. I need the peace." Hakyeon's job, his life, they both made it easy for him to tell such a blatant falsehood to this innocent face. Jaehwan scurried around the desk. The lead detective was pulled into a crushing embrace, even shaken to an extent. 

"I hope you have a great trip. Please relax while your there." Jaehwan separated but held Hakyeon fast by his arms. Hakyeon tried not to grimace at the proximity to an eye. 

"I will, truly, Jaehwan. You don't have to worry." Jaehwan nodded firmly, still not dropping that determined pout. He held his gaze on Hakyeon before pulling him back behind the desk with determination. He picked up his own personal phone and quickly dialed. The device itself was slim, but his white decorative case made it look nearly twice its size. It was so cute, so immature, so befitting. Hakyeon stared at him as he made this call. Their hands were still held together. Hakyeon was glad he put on his gloves in his office. 

"Yes, come down immediately. It's very important, Shikkie!" Hakyeon slackened. 

"Jaehwan, you really don't need to do this. I was hoping to leave quietly." Jaehwan's hands sat confident on his hips. 

"You will, but you will not leave without a goodbye to your devotee." Hakyeon sighed, setting everything on the desk. He should have known. 

Wonshik came to the front of the desk in mid stumble. He had sprinted down to Jaehwan's desk, looking frantic. 

"What's wrong?" Jaehwan pulled Hakyeon's sleeve. The detective reflexively held up his collar. 

"Yeonie was trying to leave without a goodbye! He's going on vacation!" Wonshik blinked at Jaehwan a moment. The fact his love's life was not in danger had to settle in. It registered and he looked to the elder in shock. 

"You're taking a break? What did you do with the real Hakyeon?" Hakyeon pushed down the thought that he didn't know either. The previous nights made that lonely detective seem so far away. An old simple time he longed for like an old man longs for childhood. 

"I took your advise. Did you not intend me to?" Wonshik calmly stepped around the counter to Hakyeon. His hug was ironically gentle. 

Something settled in Hakyeon. A metaphorical cold water bucket splashed over his head. He was going on what could be a death wish. What if he never saw these two again? He had no proof this would work despite Hongbin's assurance. They would be none the wiser. They could die in this very station. Simple mortals about their jobs, ignorant to what was developing. There would be no grievance time for them. They'd be lost and scared, and Hakyeon would be gone. He'd leave them in the dark where he put his heart. Hakyeon blinked away a certain teariness. That would just raise suspicion. That would just make them ask. That would have Hakyeon crack and reveal it all. Was it worse to know of your impending doom? Or to remain a blissful fool?

"Please be careful, and try to relax. We'll guard this place with our lives." Hakyeon clutched his collar at Wonshik's eyes. Jaehwan was back in his chair. 

"I'll even take care of the plants and house. You don't need to worry about a thing." Hakyeon's heart was sick with dread. Jaehwan, watering the ferns and succulents before those shadows gripped his body and stole his soul, slurped it down and ripped it between them with claws. 

"Thank- thank you, Jaehwan. Both of you." Wonshik smiled, clapped the detective's shoulders.

"Have enough fun for all of us, sir." Hakyeon ducked around him, grabbing his things and moving away from the desk. Everything inside him was still twisting. Emotions writhed and vyed for lead. 

"I'll try, thank you." His quick steps to the door were echoed by the coo of both love birds. 

"Have a nice trip!" 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long it's crazy. Forgive the exposition, and my entire disregard for my ""schedule"".

"If this doesn't work out-" Hongbin scoffed. 

"Will you stop that? It's going to work. And if it doesn't, we'll all be dead anyway." Hakyeon glared at the road.

"No,  _ I  _ will be dead,  _ you _ will be fine and dandy in hell." Hongbin rolled his eyes and just looked out his window. It wasn't even the first hour and they were already arguing. In the back of Hakyeon's car was a bag of clothes, food, and the box of belongings he brought from work. Hongbin didn't need to bring anything, but he still stole snacks like the freeloader he was. 

Outside the window was a beautiful view. Trees and luscious greens. The land was fertile and bursting with life. Hakyeon didn't leave home nearly as much as the younger him would have liked. It felt disturbing, to be surrounded by so much life and space. It seemed whether he was crowded or had all the space in the world he would be uncomfortable. 

"You can't give me crap on my plan if you didn't offer one," Hongbin grumbled. 

"How am I supposed to have a plan? I thought it was just a nightmare before you told me!" 

"Exactly. Just trust in the plan and everything will work out." 

"Okay then, brat. What are we going to do when we find him then, hm?" Hakyeon shot an agitated glance at Hongbin. The demon wasn't phased. 

"We get him to save the world."

"You don't even know either! This is going to be a disaster." Hakyeon wanted to bang his head into the steering wheel. 

"You're the cop here. Just tell him he's under investigation." 

"I can't just accuse someone of a crime he didn't commit." 

"Then don't tell him he's done anything. Say it's," Hongbin grasped for words, "I don't know. A private investigation? Be near him all the time and then drop the bomb on him." Hakyeon ate his words. He was very pensive about this plan. It was so uncoordinated that it made Hakyeon almost laugh. There was literally no way this should work. 

"I'm noticing a clear lack of you helping me in this plan." Hongbin scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking to Hakyeon. 

"What? You want me to possess you or this kid? I really can't do much with how afraid of demons you humans are.

"He has every right to be scared of you. I only like you because I have too." 

Untrue. Another lie in Hakyeon's ever growing series for the good of mankind. Hongbin was the one friend he had all his life. Hongbin was a solitary source of joy, despite how they interacted. 

The town was three hours away from Hakyeon’s apartment. It was out in the country, the cold icy bay. Green luscious trees slowly shifted to cold grey stone and jagged edges. The road guards seemed to only solidify the idea of walls closing in on them on the road. Hakyeon shifted. He had been tense the entire ride. While Hongbin was asleep and still, Hakyeon’s eyes darted about the road and any approaching car. It was too early for heavy traffic. By the time they would arrive, it wouldn’t even be noon. The rocky walls receded, giving way to view of the sea. Dark cold waves crashing against black rock. There was only one boat in visible sight, floating calm on the thrashing waves. Hakyeon refused to look at the water again. 

* * *

“Of all the things I’ve seen possessing people, I’ve always liked the small communities the most. They’re so cute, little towns where everybody knows each other. The sights are nice too. Imagine opening your door every morning and getting smacked with that salty air.” Hongbin was awake again, staring out the window directly at the water.

“If you like it that much, you should live here and not with me.” Hongbin shifted into a more comfortable position. 

“No, much too quiet. If people started dying left and right and getting possessed, everyone would know and leave. Although, not necessarily. There are still people that live at the feet of volcanoes, in Chernobyl. You have no element of self preservation.” He had a habit of abusing the royal you. You  _ humans _ . Mere mortals. 

“That doesn’t mean much coming from someone immortal.” Hongbin snorted.

“Fair enough. Still, it’s easy to eat souls and create sinners in your rat hole.” Hakyeon sighed. They passed the welcome sign. A crow took residence on the corner of it.  _ Population: 1,200. _

They pulled into a gas station. It was empty, save for the attendant inside the shop. Seagulls pecked at the asphalt. Hongbin remained in the car while Hakyeon filled the tank. It was ten degrees colder here than in the city, and Hakyeon shuddered as an icy sea breeze blew over him. His eyelashes fluttered under his shirt and blazer. There was a distinct lack of everything here. People, noise, cars. There was one street of businesses and then another of houses. After that, it faded into nothing. The town just disappeared and faded back into rock and sea. You could hear the splash of the waves on the cove as though you were standing right on the pebble beach. Hakyeon jumped at the sound of a bell. 

“Afternoon. You new here?” hakyeon turned to address the attendant that had stepped out of the shop. He could feel Hongbin’s eyes on them. He hiked his collar ever higher on his neck. 

“Yes. Just visiting though.”

“Picked a bad time then. Weather has been shit for the past week. Like god himself has a personal vendetta. Just ask the sailors when they come back.” He turned to go back into the building. Hakyeon cleared his throat and stopped him. 

“Actually, I’m here to talk to someone else.” 

“You’ one of those business types?”

“No. I’m looking for a young man. Twenties. Has messy black hair and is about yeigh tall.” The attendant looked Hakyeon over before answering. 

“There’s a few of those around.” The window rolled down behind Hakyeon, peeping open the slightest bit. 

“He knows. It’s Sanghyuk,” Hongbin whispered through the crack. No one could hear or see him but hakyeon. 

“Goes by Sanghyuk.” The man snapped his fingers. 

“That’s the name. Don’t know why you’re looking for him. Never leaves the house.” 

“Personal investigation. You know his address?” 

“No sir, know the therapist though. That’s the only place I see that boy go other than here and home. Mother brings him his groceries.” 

“Where would this therapist be then?” Hakyeon took out the gas nozzle. Hongbin rolled the window back up. 

“Green building on main street. Doctor has black hair, round glasses, usually dresses nice.” Hakyeon nodded, taking mental notes. 

Luck was on Hakyeon’s side for once. A man fitting the description was standing right outside the building, smoking a cigarette. He looked at Haykeon’s car as it drove up. 

“Don’t doctors have rules to secrecy?” Hongbin questioned as Hakyeon reached back for a notebook. 

“Yes, but I’m not asking for specifics.” He stepped out of the car, trying to seem casual in walking up to the doctor. He put his cigarette out against the brick wall. 

“Hello. Do you have a patient that goes by Sanghyuk?” The therapist put his hands in his pockets. His voice was oddly high and melodic. 

“I do, why?” Hakyeon withdrew his badge from his pocket. The doctor raised his brows. 

“I’m looking for him and I’d like to know a few things.” 

“What for?” 

“Private investigation. What can you tell me without breaking your confidentiality?” The doctor eased off the wall, looking to the sidewalk pensively. Gulls crooned above them, flying from roof to roof.

“He’s really young. He has meds that I prescribed him. He’s a very anxious, awkward type.” Hakyeon scribbled onto the page. Another chilling wind blew over both their forms. 

“I see. What would you say of his intelligence or skills?” The doctor jerked his head back in offense. His face clearly said he hadn’t been expecting that question.

“Well, he’s smart. He was supposed to go off to college and get out of this place but he had a breakdown. He ended up back here, in that worn down duplex no body lives in anymore. He’s been seeing me for about four years now. He wanted to do music.” Hakyeon looked up from his paper for confirmation. Music. Hongbin’s messiah was a college drop out with emotional issues? How much of a rag tag team was he going for here? Hakyeon glanced back to the car. 

“Interesting…” Hongbin was watching from the passenger seat, staring at them both. “Does he have dreams? Lately at least?" The doctor squinted. 

"What kind of investigation is this?"

"It may help the case, please." He sighed.

"He does. He's been having a lot of nightmares as of late. He sees.. fire, burning down with his house. He's been fixated on a man too." The doctor looked to the building across the street, pensive. His eyes looked a million miles away. Hakyeon was clutching the pen too tight. "I'm not sure what the man says to him, but Sanghyuk gets this icy look on his face, like he saw a corpse. It's unnerving." He shook his head, dropping the train of thought. "And the gore. There's always gore, at least with the man. Sanghyuk's said he's seen him," the doctor grasped for the words, "eating eyeballs, or ripping out organs and eating them while they talk. I have no idea what dreams like that could possibly mean…" 

"Thank you doctor." Hakyeon shut his notebook, tucking it into his pocket. "This will help in the case. May I have your card, should we need to speak again?" The doctor nodded, stepping inside the building. Hakyeon let out a breathe once his back disappeared behind the glass doors.

"Here, and I hope whatever this is isn't serious. The last thing I want is Sanghyuk in trouble." Hakyeon forced a smile as he pocketed the business card. 

"Me too. If everything goes well, you have nothing to fear." 

Dr. Jung. Psychologist. The company number was listed. Scrawled on the back was a personal number. Hakyeon didn't mention this detail to Hongbin, but the creeping tension suggested he already knew. 

"Still denying you're flirting around in people's heads?" 

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I know you heard him, Hongbin. The kid, he dreams of you just like I did. That's not a coincidence." Hongbin scoffed.

"You dreamed about him, why wouldn't be the same? We're all tied up, Yeon." Hakyeon sighed, rounding the rocky cliffside to the waterside houses. Paint was peeling and the colors were faded. What grass there was thick, dark. Some lawns it reached tall and rolled in waves with the wind. The waves were still crashing. The guard rails sat crooked in the rocks, receding into the sea with them. The duplex was at the very end, looking just as dilatlpted as first assumed. The lawn here was entirely taken over by rocks and sand. It was the transition to beach on the end of the one way road. Hakyeon parked the car on the curb. 

"Well?"

"Give me a minute." 

"Hakyeon there's barely minutes left. We can't sit around for breakdowns." Hakyeon put his head in both hands, rubbing his face. He wasn't ready, wouldn't ever be ready. He was just a kid. Hakyeon remembered the dream. He remembered his vision blurring with tears as a scream ripped out of the poor child's throat. _ He's just a kid _ . His life has been hard enough. Why couldn't it be some rich snob waste of space? Why was it a  _ boy _ ? 

"Hakyeon, we can't do anything about it. We have to go up there no matter how bad it is." Hongbin’s voice has an uncharacteristic softness. It didn't help. It made Hakyeon even more unnerved. Hongbin's words were never comforting. His touch, maybe, but not when he spoke. His voice was full of demonic venom. Fake sweetness was bitter for Hakyeon. He forced himself out of the car and onto the sidewalk. It felt like a death march, one Hakyeon couldn't turn back from. Hongbin was right behind him, his shadow. Please let this be one of the boy's rare trips outside his house. Hakyeon hesitated to knock. Hongbin did it for him. 

Nothing. Silence. No door swinging open. Hakyeon let out a breath, visibly relaxed. He was safe, for now. 

"Let's go, Ho-" Hongbin knocked again, harder and with a scowl. The detective smacked at his chest. "Stop it! He's not there! Let's just go!" 

"He's in there, Hakyeon."

"What is wrong with you?!" The bickering immediately fell to a dead stop. The slide of a dead bolt, and then three more locks. Each one was like Hakyeon had been thrown in that nearby sea and run over by waves.  _ Don't open the door kid.  _

"Hello..?" 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahaha sad brain said work on sad fics but reading this over its already done, how fun

Sanghyuk could see Hongbin. He could see the demon standing just at Hakyeon's shoulder. You would have been able to tell, even without Hakyeon's ability of sight. He looked straight at him, jaw slackened. His hand tightened on the door. 

"Hi, we don't mean to intrude, but I'm detective Cha and this- this is my partner Lee. We'd like to ask a few questions." Sanghyuk's eyes resisted, but they focused on Hakyeon. They were so handsome. Dark and sleepy, and nervous. 

"Did I do something?" 

"This is just a private investigation, you have nothing to be concerned about." Sanghyuk licked his lips and nodded, slowly opening the door wider to allow them in. The house was dark. Hakyeon had goosebumps stepping over the threshold. 

The house was cluttered, and the air felt so dry. Hakyeon wanted to scratch his skin just being here. Clutter covered the entirety of the table. The couch seemed to be a bed now, stacked with blankets and pillows. Further ahead was the kitchen. Another full table, this one also having medications, abandoned dishes, books. Hakyeon got an almost kind of head rush being in the house, looking at this practical child turned hermit. 

"Do you go to school, Sanghyuk?" 

"No, no I stopped a while ago.." he spoke as he cleared off the chairs at the dining table. Not the table itself, that mountain just piled higher. 

"How long ago?" 

"Uh, four years." 

"What are you doing?" Hongbin whispered into Hakyeon's ear, holding him by the elbow. Hakyeon quickly pulled his arm away, offering a fake little smile to Sanghyuk when he looked at them. 

"I'm talking to him. You know, like a normal person? Making sure he's not nervous and doesn't think he's guilty of something?" Hakyeon whispered back with a glare, before dropping it. He came over to sit at Sanghyuk's proffered seat. 

"Do you need anything? I have.. water.."

"Water, thank you." Hongbin answered for them, sitting beside Hakyeon. The detective took a deep breath. Hongbin and his work never mixed together, it was easy to see why. Hongbin and police work were Hakyeon's two different realities. Having them both in the same situation was making his eyes twitch with annoyance. Hakyeon watched Sanghyuk hand the water glass over. The liquid quivering violently with the young man's shaking hand. He took his hand away as fast as possible when he finally got the glass to Hongbin. He sat opposite to them. His posture was bad. Hakyeon's analyzing eye was taking over, critiquing Sanghyuk's every element. He sat on his hands, like a scolded school boy. When he wasn't being spoken to, his eyes stayed firmly down. The house was so close to the shore and cheaply built you could hear the water on the shore. Wave on rock. Tide crashing on the beach. Water soaking the sand. 

"You live here by yourself, Sanghyuk?" He nodded. 

"Yeah, my mom will come to visit every week or so." 

"No one else? No friend? Girlfriend or boyfriend?" He shook his head. He looked out the window to his right, or rather, looked at the blinds. They were shut, only letting the barest amount of view in or out. Hakyeon nodded, getting out his pocket notebook and writing hermit on the page. "Okay then, do you leave the house?" He nodded, glancing at Hakyeon. He quickly abandoned the gesture when he saw Hongbin again. The demon put his chin on his hands, staring directly at Sanghyuk. 

"My therapist, I go to see him twice a week." 

"Very nice, you're doing well, Sanghyuk. Tell me about the therapist." Hongbin pinched Hakyeon's arm and the detective promptly stomped on his foot in return, a fake little smile still on his face. 

"Well.. he's uh.. nice, but I guess that's his job… He prescribes me my pills for my paranoia and depression. They change a lot because I get hallucinations." Hakyeon wrote in his notepad. 

"Hallucinations? Would you be comfortable elaborating?" 

"Usually it's not that bad. I see that clock spinning really fast." He pointed to the clock hanging on the wall behind the small TV in the living room. "Or raw meat in my food, blood on my skin I can't wipe off. Dr. Jung says my brain fixates on blood a lot. It's mostly auditory stuff though." He wrapped his arms around himself, sinking down into his chair. Hakyeon pressed fingers against an eye on his arm so the physical pain would distract him from the tightening of his heart's strings. 

"What is the auditory stuff?" Hongbin questioned this time. He hadn't moved a muscle, chin still on his hands. He was staring down the poor boy like he wanted to eat him. Hakyeon saw a primal look in his eyes. He wanted to wring his hands around the demon's neck. Sanghyuk was as easily affected by Hongbin speaking up. His brows furrowed and he looked at him briefly like a scolded dog. 

"It's.. hard to explain. Some days it sounds like a dripping faucet and other times it's… it sounds thicker. Like- like slime or something. Sometimes at night I think I hear begging, like some man begging for something. It's too far to understand though." Hongbin looked to Hakyeon, finally, and motioned for him to write. He scribbled down ‘speak to the therapist’. "Just really weird out of place things." 

"I understand," Hakyeon reassured. Hongbin leaned close to him, whispering into his ear. 

"Can we move on to something that matters already?" Hakyeon sighed, friendly smile faltering. It was amazing he didn't look for a way to exorcise the bastard by now. 

"Sanghyuk, I'm going to ask you a little more bizarre questions now, okay?" 

"Okay.." Hakyeon nodded softly. He leaned against his elbows on the table, attempting to be comforting. The faucet was dripping in the quiet house. 

"Do you have any, let's say, occult beliefs or interests? Ghost, demons, impending doomsdays, things of that nature." Hakyeon could  _ feel _ the scoff Hongbin wanted to let out. Sanghyuk seemed a little taken aback, blinking at the table top for a moment. He chewed his lip answering. 

"I think that stuff could be real, hypothetically, I guess. Anything's possible, and the world is bad enough…" He gulped, pensive over what he'd say next. "Sometimes I have dreams. They've been more frequent lately. Most of the time it's me getting hurt. Nobody else is there, it's just me and this guy and he cuts me open or mocks me or just generally makes it a nightmare, but- but then sometimes I get other dreams too. Like-like fire and brimstone kind of stuff." 

"Very interesting." Hakyeon shifted further forward in his seat. More into Sanghyuk's space. "And this man-"

"Tell us about him, Sanghyuk." A disturbed chill ran up Hakyeon's spine. Hongbin's voice took on an uncomfortably deep note, one of intrigue. It was practically a purr. Sanghyuk was equally affected. He stiffened, clutch on his own biceps tightening and breath stutter for just a moment. He had almost completely curled into himself now. Hakyeon was so vividly reminded of a child, of his niece. Her quivering and crying at the cacophonous noise of the thunder, at the momentary abandonment of her mother. She didn't understand at the time, so she was scared and overwhelmed. She curled into herself at Hakyeon's feet, clutching to his pant leg. Hakyeon saw that again in Sanghyuk, the way he now held his feet that were curled up against his chest on the chair. His eyes were distant. Looking into them showed a blur. A thousand yard stare. It was worth asking if Sanghyuk was ever just simply looking at what lay before him. His eyes always seemed glazed and distant. 

"I see him almost every night."

* * *

The lights were dim again, candles flickering on the opposite walls as Sanghyuk crossed the ice cold tiles. He knew this hallway. Every night it came back to him, returned with its icy air and inhuman perfection. Even when Sanghyuk crossed the floor on bare feet, there wasn’t a trace of human presence. 

At the end of the hall was a set of giant black oak doors. Sanghyuk had noticed the air always seemed to quiver about them, like they trembled under the weight of what they were forced to contain. Sanghyuk was one in the same with the door, always trembling under the weight of the memory of this room, and the  _ cold _ . It chilled him down to the bone, made his teeth clatter, made the air go white about him from the heat of his breath. Sanghyuk didn’t know what was on the opposite end of the hallway, he never dared to look behind him. Move forward, progress and escape the nightmare. There was a prayer, just faintly on the tip of his lips, that  _ he  _ wasn’t here tonight. Sanghyuk could survive without him. His presence meant chills crawling under his skin, nerves tearing stitches open and eating through his middle. Without him, Sanghyuk had a chance at a peaceful night. It was with a frozen heart that Sanghyuk pushed open the right side door, listening for a creak that wasn’t there. These doors were silent, and they always were. It would have been more comforting had they made noise, had anything made noise here. The silence instilled paranoia. This manor was well designed. Paranoia was practically painted on the dark wallpaper. 

Tonight’s room greeted Sanghyuk with a long table. Beautifully polished, missing any chairs but two. One had its back to Sanghyuk and sat at the head of it. The table, ornate in every manner, was covered in opulence. Gems, goblets, platters. That opulence, the decadence of it, was completely shattered by what else rested on the table. Bloody goblets, large silver platters, large enough to require two servants to carry, held viscera. The jewels’ beautiful colors were tarnished by the blood that dripped off the edges of the table. Sanghyuk turned around, bracing himself on the wall as he covered his mouth to gag.  _ He  _ had done this, it had to be him. It was just a matter of where he was, and what he wanted. With an ill feeling that was sinking far enough to be in his bones, Sanghyuk sat down at the chair facing away from him. One of two. Before him was the only clean plate. Silver showing Sanghyuk’s pained reflection back at the owner. Sanghyuk felt sick. He always felt sick here. 

He waited for hours, seconds, days. He would never be sure. Time was just a meek human construct that he tried and failed to apply here. He would sit here and wait until  _ he  _ was good and ready to greet him.  _ He  _ was a dreadful host like that, but Sanghyuk was shackled to his chair by his mind, by the Pavlovian training that fiend made him go through. Be a good boy and sit at the table. Do not eat without him. Sit respectfully and do not call out. Do not talk to the bulging grotesque shadows that become monsters if the eye were to linger too long. Sit, relax, and anticipate tonight's foray. Perhaps Sanghyuk would become the part of the pool of guts on the table? Or maybe he would just beat Sanghyuk down again until he was coughing up blood and ribs? Or maybe that voice? That deep honey voice that always leaned in too close, rumbled against the shell of Sanghyuk’s ear and purred about the great atrocities the owner would commit against Sanghyuk’s person. The voice would coo to him, press right against his head so close you could feel breath on the back of your-

Sanghyuk whipped around, looking for him. The room was still empty, still silent, yet somehow, Sanghyuk could hear him tittering. The candles flickered a little, but there was no presence. He sat alone in a dining room with a ceiling so high it disappeared into darkness. His eyes lingered too long and the bulbous form of the shadow moved to step in, its body contorted due to the candles. Sanghyuk obediently looked back down at the plate. He heard the low groan of the creature before it stilled again. It needed Sanghyuk’s eyes. If it didn’t have that, it would be stuck there, a high shadow on the walls that lost its hope to come closer and snake its arms around him until his breath died out. Sanghyuk’s already shivering arms broke into goosebumps with the memory of those cold, slimy appendages slipping over his body and embracing him. They engulfed him until he couldn’t breathe and burnt out like the candles in his breeze. 

When Sanghyuk heard a distant door open, he did not look up. He knew who it was, those heels on the tiles, but he did not look up to meet him despite what his instincts told him to. He didn’t want to look up and face eyes that never changed focus, that cut into him and burned with their concentration. He didn’t want to look up and see a grin stretched across  _ his  _ face at Sanghyuk’s palpable fear. He could taste it, and he would love it. Sanghyuk wouldn't be surprised if the demon lunged across the table for a taste. Sanghyuk listened to the steps come closer and tensed, bracing for teeth in his skin and flesh tearing from bone as he pleaded uselessly for pity. His breath caught in his throat when the steps stopped. He closed his eyes, praying for some kind of mercy. 

The second chair pulled out from the table with a screech so loud Sanghyuk jumped. He held his breath for too long, wheezing now. There was a pleasant hum. Sanghyuk dared to glance up for just a second. Glittering red eyes. He looked back down to the table and wiped the sweat off his brow. 

"Shall we get started?" 

"What- What is all of this?" Sanghyuk gulped down lung-fulls of air, trying to steady himself again. There was the clattering of plates and silverware, the pouring of something into a goblet. 

"Dinner of course! You can go ahead and eat." Sanghyuk let out a shaky sigh, knowing he was going to have to commit. Hongbin enjoyed obedience, and obedience was rewarded with a distinct lack of torture. Sanghyuk chanced a glance up, barely seeing over the mountain of organs on Hongbin's plate. Eyes, and many of them. Too bloodshot and blood soaked to have colors identifiable, but most certainly human. He had no secret indulgences. Separating limb from body, drinking blood, tearing flesh away from bone with nothing but his bare teeth and a grin, those were all on the table. He savored human torture, and having a taste of them along side it. Sanghyuk grabbed a silver serving spoon, shakily using it to pick up a few eyes and bestow them on his plate. The spoon clattered onto the table when they all turned to stare at him. 

"Oh now, don't treat the dining-wear like that." 

Sanghyuk looked up to him, seemingly frozen to his spot except for his head and eyes. On his fork, one perfect intact eyeball was pierced. The cord dangled down as he held his fork up, smiling over at Sanghyuk. 

"I didn't set all of this up for you just to make a mess," he chided, before bringing it to his lips and taking a slow bite. Sanghyuk felt bile rise up in his throat watching him gently sink his teeth in and biting through. Blood squirted onto his lips, staining them maroon. He closed his eyes and chewed, looking like he deeply savored it. The remaining blood ran down the fork, his fingers, and dripped down onto the table. His shirt sleeves stained, brilliant red on stark white. He always dressed formally, a ghost of a former era. The first few buttons were undone though, making him appear relaxed, toned down. He put the fork down, picking up a knife to cut through it. The metal scraped on the china. "Your food will get cold." Sanghyuk picked up his utensils, hands so weak. He hesitated, unable to pierce through the eyes that stared up at him. He could see the irises now that they were on his own plate. The irises all either like Hongbin's or his own. A dark, wet-earth rich brown, or an inhuman red. With a shaking sigh to himself, Sanghyuk put his fork down, wincing as he pierced the eye. There was no noise except for the faintest wet squirt, the click of the fork’s prongs hitting the plate. Opening his eyes again, he saw the eye, slightly misshapen, crushed down and bulging out the sides. “Go on,” Hongbin encouraged, almost whispering. Sanghyuk could hear the smile, see his chin resting atop his hands, even if he wasn’t looking. He lifted the eye from the plate. The cord dangled, blood running down its extent to drip off onto the dinnerware. In a small gesture of mercy from his mind, the eye did not look to him as he hesitated to eat. Its direction remained downcast, like it had been the moment of impaling. Sanghyuk swallowed the bile in his throat and lifted the organ higher. Close enough to bite. He looked at him in that moment. He wasn’t actually watching. He wasn’t even looking. He was still cutting little fat discs out of the eyes and eating them like fine filet mignon. Somehow, that didn’t ease Sanghyuk’s fears any. Hongbin knew he would obey. He didn’t even have to watch him. He was a little lap dog at Hongbin’s feet. So well trained. Despite knowing he wasn’t watched, despite knowing he could just pretend, he did not. He could not. Acting would not doop him, despite his feigned lack of interest. Sanghyuk twisted his face up tight and took a bite as quick as he could. Like a water balloon, it popped. The membrane was easy to bite through, and once he did, blood poured out, running down and staining his own person. It was still warm. Sanghyuk fought gagging as he forced his jaws to chew on the rubbery flesh. It was like trying to eat solid fat ripped from the meat. It refused to tear, to become small enough to swallow down and try to forget. It lingered. 

“What do you think is your best feature, Sanghyuk?” He asked, taking a sip from his goblet. His fingers curled around it perfectly, staining the silver with his bloody fingertips. Sanghyuk looked at what remained on his fork. 

“I don’t know… .”

“Of course you know. You have a part of you that you love, that were you able, you would cut off and apply to your dream self. No scars, no imperfections, just you as your most beautiful. What is that feature for you, Sanghyuk?” 

“I… my hands, I-I guess?” He looked at his veins, prominent despite his messy hand. They rose from his skin in a rather attractive way, a masculine way. His fingers were long. He bit his nails, but that was a minor flaw. Seeing them on your body rather than through a mirror, they felt rather disconnected from the rest of him, likely aiding in the favoritism. Hongbin hummed. 

“They say nuns cover their body entirely except for their hands because their human person does not matter; but rather the hands they use to enact the wills of God.” Sanghyuk finally swallowed down the lump of flesh, his body nearly rejecting it. “What higher being do you please with the acts of your hands, Sanghyuk?”

“I don’t-”

“Does what you create or destroy with your hands honor anyone? Is there purpose in what you do? Or are you acting as though pushing a boulder up the mountain for eternity? Little tasks that ultimately are worthless.” He took another bite of the eye, speaking with his cheek full. “Although, that begs to ask if even you are useful then, if your actions are not? What is your purpose, Sanghyuk?”

“To live, I guess.”

“To live…” He spoke softly, thoughtfully. He looked up to the ceiling. The endless, pitch black ceiling. “A rather miserable purpose, i think. What is the point in continuing to do so if you have no goal than to merely do that? Something should not exist merely because it can.”

“You give it your own meaning,” Sanghyuk tried to defend. He took a sip from the goblet, only to choke when the taste of blood hit his tongue. The cup was almost black with the dark maroon, vicious essence. 

“Oh? Then what meaning do you choose to believe in?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> plz comment or interact it would make my day and make me actually work on this lol 
> 
> contact Info:  
[Tumblr](https://minoru-hayashi.tumblr.com)  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/russ__Ant)  
[DA](https://www.deviantart.com/rus-ant)  
[Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/russ__Ant)  


**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE tell me how I'm doing so far. I've never done this ever before so I have no way of gauging if it's actually scary/unnerving or not. 
> 
> contact Info:  
[Tumblr](https://minoru-hayashi.tumblr.com)  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/russ__Ant)  
[DA](https://www.deviantart.com/rus-ant)  
[Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/russ__Ant)  



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